Dhaka: Allegation has been raised against well-known super shop Agora regarding VAT (value-added tax) evasion of Taka several crores.

The VAT officers informed the media that the super shop Agora, owned by Rahim Afroze, sells products more than Tk 360 crores every year.

Sources concerned said that the annual sale of this shop exceeds VAT of taka several crores. There are no VAT receipts of the selling. Every year this organization avoids several crores of taka collected as VAT.

Recently, one customer named Mahbub Miya Humayun made a written complaint to the VAT detective and investigation department against Agora. He sent the same complaint to Agora higher officials as well. But it didn’t produce any result.

Previously, the VAT detectives received many complaints from Agora customers for not delivering the original VAT receipt as well as taking additional money.

Upon these complaints, a team of VAT detectives ran a sting operation at Agora head office in city’s Mahakhali area. Another operation was conducted at its outlet at Simanto Square in city’s Jhikatala area.

Several sources, who had taken part in the operations, said, if anything is purchased from any factory, 15% VAT has to be paid with proper VAT receipt.

There are allegations that Agora has not been paying VAT since its inception. Even then, they do not pay 4% VAT to the government.

“Within 5 hours of sting operation, we have found information of selling products taka several hundred crores without any VAT receipt,” a higher official of VAT detective and investigation department asserted.

VAT detectives and investigation division assistant director AKM Sultan Mahmud, who led the operation, said, “Agora has been unable to produce any VAT receipt for purchasing products”.

The division’s additional director general Mohammad Belal Hossain told banglanews that the search operation was conducted after getting written complaints against the super shop.

BDST: 1801 HRS, February 23, 2016
AIK/RR/SMS